A source close to the pop star said last night: “She is very shaken and has
upped her personal protection and security at her homes.

“Of course she’s scared about her safety and the safety of her family.

“Thankfully, Rita wasn’t home at the time, but a family member was sleeping
upstairs so it could have been so much worse if they had been disturbed.

“They called the police who arrived after 5am after they found out that cash,
jewellery and electrical goods had been stolen.

“The police have told Rita she needs to look seriously into the possibility
that this was an inside job and could be connected to a number of burglaries
in the area, including the one at Simon’s house.”

In an exclusive interview earlier this week, Rita admitted she had fears
over her security.

Responding to the raid on Cowell’s house, she said: “It definitely worries me.
You have to be careful. You never know what is going to happen. It is scary.”

The area where Rita and Cowell live has seen a spate of at least eight
burglaries, thought to be linked.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said of the Rita robbery: “Police in Brent were
called to an address at 5.54 on Saturday, November 28, to reports of a
burglary. An investigation is under way. No arrests have been made.”

Rita’s parents Vera and Besnick are thought to live at the property full-time,
while Rita splits her time between there and a rented £4million townhouse in
West London.

Cowell was robbed of cash and jewellery worth £500,000 as he and his family
slept during the early hours a week later.

Yesterday he said of the burglar: “I think he had inside knowledge,
definitely. He got up to the first floor and there were two doors, one to my
bedroom and one to my bathroom which leads to a dressing room where the safe
was.

“So he could have walked into my bedroom but chose the other door.”

Simon and girlfriend Lauren Silverman, 38, rushed to check on their baby son
Eric when they learned of the break-in. A security guard working for another
resident recovered the goods after spotting a man with a bag under his arm.

Cowell called him a “hero” and said he’d give him a festive bonus.

The TV guru admitted the raid was a “wake-up call” and said he had upped
security at his house.

“It’s such an invasion. It’s frightening when you think about it afterwards,
because I’m a dad now.

“That’s the thing that really freaked me out, the fact this guy got in and no
one spotted him. It could have been a lot worse.” Meanwhile, we can reveal
Cowell has been looking at buying a second home outside London. A source
said: “It was something Lauren was keen on for safety reasons.”

Residents in Cowell and Rita’s area have increased security recently. One
said: “I know of eight friends who’ve been burgled.

“Each time the police arrive, they say they have just come from another
burglary nearby.”

A Met Police spokeswoman said the possibility that Cowell’s burglary was
linked to others would “form one strand of the investigation”.